Farro Salad with Rosemary and Roasted Butternut

This grain salad is a great way to switch up the normal lunch routine when you're looking for something that's nutritious and delicious. Ingredients like almonds, parmesan, and rosemary enhance the flavor complexity, while butternut squash and red onion add splashes of color. As all of the components are sturdy, this salad will hold up well in the fridge for a few days. For some variety throughout the week, it's easy to customize—add chickpeas and kale one day, arugula the next.

Nutrition Highlight: Fiber in Butternut Squash

 Fill your plate with fiber-rich foods.

The fiber goal for men is 38 g/day and for women it's 25 g/day. By prioritizing whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and legumes you'll have no trouble meeting this recommendation. 

Most winter squashes, such as butternut, is an "excellent source" of fiber because it provides at least 5 g of fiber per cup. Winter squash with a high water content, such as pumpkin and spaghetti squash, are "good sources" because they provide at least 2.5 g of fiber per cup. 

Many cereal bars are available with added fiber, but these bars are often high in added sugar and lack the phytochemicals (i.e. plant antioxidants) that can only be found in plants.  

Good resources for finding fiber content in foods.

Tufts University created this convenient chart of total fiber and soluble fiber in foods using information from the USDA database. For a helpful visual to see a food's ratio of soluble to insoluble fiber and total dietary fiber (TDF), look at Table 1 of this research paper. Foods are broken into 100g portions for the sake of accurate comparisons.  

Soluble Fiber in Butternut Squash

1 c cooked butternut = 6 g fiber (4 g soluble, 2 g insoluble) 

Soluble fiber breaks down in water.  Many soluble fibers are also viscous, meaning they dissolve to form a gel in the stomach and small intestine. This gelling helps. . .

. . slow down stomach emptying, causing fullness which 
promotes weight control.

. . .trap cholesterol and fats, lowering LDL cholesterol.

 . . .reduce absorption of sugars, preventing blood sugar swings.

Soluble fiber is also fermentable. Gut bacteria digest this fiber to produce beneficial short chain fatty acids like butyrate. Butyrate has many roles, including the ability to provide energy for the cells in your colon, allowing them to function normally. It also
prevents damage to the intestinal lining due to its anti-inflammatory actions. Finally, it can help with weight control because it promotes fatty acid oxidation, meaning fats are broken down for use rather than stored in adipocytes (fat cells). 

Insoluble Fiber in Butternut Squash

1 c cooked butternut = 6 g fiber (4 g soluble, 2 g insoluble) 

Insoluble fiber is generally not fermented. Thus it adds bulk to stool, promoting regularity & minimizing constipation.

Insoluble fibers can be found in high concentrations in legumes and the exteriors of plants, such as peels of produce and the bran of whole grains. By choosing brown rice over white rice and keeping the peel on your butternut squash, your fecal matter will have more mass, allowing it to speed through the colon.  This prevents putting strain on the walls of the colon and reduces the amount of time colon cells are exposed to carcinogenic elements.

Farro Salad with Rosemary & Roasted Butternut Squash

Printable Recipe

1 small butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2" slices

2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs rosemary

Wash butternut squash and place entire squash in the oven as the oven preheats to 400º. Remove the squash after about 15 minutes to cube it. Slice off the very top and bottom, then quarter it (shown above), removing the seeds to toast later. Continue chopping the squash into cubes, about 1/2”x1/2”. In a large bowl toss cubes with red onion slices, olive oil and rosemary. Divide between 2 cookie sheets and roast at 400º for 20 min, give everything a turn, and roast about 15 minutes more until lightly browned.

2 c apple cider (or apple juice + 1 tsp cinnamon)

2 c water 

1 tsp salt

1 c farro

Meanwhile in a saucepan combine apple cider, water (can do just water + 1 tsp cinnamon), salt, and farro. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 min until farro is al dente. Drain farro and transfer to a large bowl.

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar and oil and pour over farro. 

1/2-1 c chopped parsley

1/4 c chopped roasted almonds

1/4 c shaved parmesan

Add squash and onions, parsley, and almonds to the big bowl, toss. Top individual salads with parmesan. 

For modifying leftovers try any of the following: orange or grapefruit segments, arugula. For a hot version, microwave with kale or baby bok choy.